~ A book about cycling in the Greater Toronto Area

Studley Do-Right

Toronto cyclists have somehow managed to do it again. Last night, I attended the twelfth annual Icycle, at which Studley Do-Right stole my heart. Be still, my beating heart. Be still.

Icycle is one of those neat Toronto moments, where we take two common things and unpredictably combine them, and we have a helluva fun time doing it, too. Bikes on ice, basically. The 200 or so screws per tire become a necessity. The eleven centimetres of snow we had last night added to the challenge, since screws have a hard time gripping the ice when it’s under a soft blanket. *sigh* I’m so smitten with the adventurous nature of these people, their playfulness, their willingness to include anyone in something they believe in wholeheartedly. Bicycles bring people together.

Races in this weather are slower than otherwise. Our illustrious radar monitor clocked the fastest rider at 38 kilometres per hour. The rider was a woman, I’m delighted to tell you. Actually, so was the race monitor.

Some of the competitors raced on BMX bikes, a new concept at Icycle.

More Studleys. Gorgeous, aren’t they?

Not new were the costumes which some of the competitors wore. The Ice Emperor was there as always, but I also managed to capture a Luke Skywalker (complete with his yoda mentor) and a zamboni. When the zamboni tore apart in a crash (the rider walked away unhurt) the only surviving element of the costume was a barbie-like doll, which the competitor charmingly carried in his back pocket the rest of the night. This goes to show that cyclists are tough on the outside and soft soft soft on the inside. *sigh*

There was also a bike on which was tied a cabbage. I kid you not. Perfectly sensible, as it turns out. You see, the rider was representing a bike shop in Cabbagetown. I’m relieved no one thought to do this for the meme Hogtown.

And here was the winning back tire for the men’s finals, ridden by one of my interviewees, Sean T of Bike Fix. Sean, I salute you. And I want to take your cyclo-cross bike out for a hot date. It has my heart.